When most people think about meditation, they simply think of monks that live in caves and monasteries, spending their time sitting cross-legged on the floor. Even in today’s day and age a lot of people don’t know about all the benefits of meditation and never think to try it for themselves.
The fact is, meditation is not just for monks and gurus. Every person can learn how to meditate and enjoy all the benefits it has to offer. For thousands of years many different type of people have used meditation to reach their goals and improve their general feelings of well being.
Reducing Stress is one of the most commonly known benefits of meditation. The simple act of finding a quiet place and clearing your mind can do wonders for your stress level. Even better, the sense of tranquility you’ll experience extends far beyond the time that you actually spend meditating – your entire day will flow more smoothly, and you’ll be able to tackle your daily tasks with a calm, serene mindset.
The reduction in your level of stress opens the door for much of the other benefits of meditation. First, when you reduce your levels of stress you will be able to think much more clearly and complete your daily tasks with relative ease. This will give you more freedom to do the things you truly enjoy doing and will help to limit your amount of stress even further.
Secondly, when you feel stress and anxiety, your body releases cortisol, a poisonous chemical that is linked to many diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and strokes. Meditation will significantly decrease the high levels of cortisol in your body, which in turn will help your body fight potentially life threatening diseases.
Third, improved sleep is a byproduct of stress reduction, making it one of the key benefits of meditation. When it is time to go to sleep we find it hard to quiet our constant stream of thoughts, which is a direct result of the stresses of everyday life. Unfortunately because of this, the deep sleep we need for our mental, physical and emotional healing doesn’t happen. If you are consistent in your meditation practices you will get a better nights sleep, wake up refreshed and have much more energy throughout the day.
Aside from stress reduction, one of the premier benefits of meditation is the ability to quiet the “monkey mind”, the meaningless chatter that goes on in most people’s heads. One problem most of us have is that when we need to really focus we find our minds filled with negative and self defeating thoughts? This is what they call the “monkey mind”, and not many people are even aware that it really exists. Meditating consistently gives you the tools to quiet your “monkey mind” so you can concentrate and reach your goals much more efficiently.
Although the concept of meditation can be rather difficult for some people to learn, especially if they see their stress and monkey mind as just a “way of life”, the benefits of meditation are well worth your effort. Regardless of whether you only meditate for ten minutes a day, you will still get some great benefits that can completely change your life!
